The quote you pluck is very odd. But the point I think is that Barack Obama identifies culturally as black -- whatever that means -- which differs from Rice or Powell -- so the argument goes, as far as I can tell.

I do think that if Barack Obama can summon black cadence while talking to youth, that could be a good thing -- but I'm not sure if my parents are ready to listen to it. You can't talk to everyone at once.

That may be true but Hillary can be more authentically Scottish if she chooses to be. That could be a real asset when speaking to groups of so-called white Americans who are emotionally over-controlled, uptight, and angry.

This is not a new sentiment. Isn't there an old saying about blonds? The only true blond is a bottle blond, since she is blond by choice.

It could be that Senator Obama identifies with african american culture since he looks far more African than caucasian. On the other hand, he was raised by caucasians, so he probably feels pretty comfortable around them too.

During the 1980s, Glenn Loury was a conservative. Since the 1990s he has been left of center, and has adopted the mantra of "institutional racism". He states this early on in the video, but only parenthetically (i.e "we have formations in the centers of our cities ...you know how the litany would go ...the material structural root of the society etc. etc."), in order to quickly establish that both he and John McWhorter are in agreement "that racial stigma is deeply ingrained and highly influential" (see First Things, using what has obviously become a shorthand for the whole argument.

Saying "What? to that would have exposed a nonbeliever rather quickly. But McWhorter agrees ("Sure ...I completely see ..Obama's different ...Colin Powell's not culturally African American...")

That is, Loury blames black social failure and disadvantage on institutional racism, rather than, say, "antisocial and self-destructive attitudes, values, and conduct within black culture" (not genetic, but learned). Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and Oprah are not abnegations of that concept, but proof of nothing at all.

Obama, and not Colin Powell, is therefore authentically black less for the other minor reasons they go on to discuss, than that Obama agrees with the belief in institutional racism, and Powell does not (or does not appear to do so).

This concept, institutional racism, is dangerous enough by itself. In a serious candidate, it is horrifying.

I'm going to start a brand new race of humans starting with myself. Henceforth, all my descendants and I shall be known as belonging to the "Meaderoid" race. You may defer and refer to us as "Meadeiorites" or "Meades" for short. Thank you and may god take pity on the rest of you pathetic subhumans.

"Kelly Tilghman was suspended for two weeks because of comments she made during the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, when she and analyst Nick Faldo were discussing young challengers to Woods.

Faldo suggested that "to take Tiger on, maybe they should just gang up (on him) for a while."

"Lynch him in a back alley," Tilghman replied.

Tilghman said she apologized directly to the world's No. 1 player, and Woods' agent issued a statement that said it was a non-issue."

So I guess that the takeaway here is that race has morphed from a classification inflicted on you by society to a classificatoin that you choose for yourself. And is judged by others of your classification.

Mortimer Brezny said... "It could be that Senator Obama identifies with african american culture since he looks far more African than caucasian.

You realize that is impossible."

I realize nothing of the sort. The difference between phenotype and genotype are well understood, as is the dominance of some genotypes over others. Just a simple example: My eyes are blue, my wife's eyes brown. All of our children have one blue gene and one brown gene for eye color. Their eyes: Beautiful deep dark brown, exactly like their mom's.